Peter G. Van Winkle

Peter Godwin Van Winkle (7 September 1808-15 April 1872) was a US Senator from West Virginia (R) from 4 August 1863 to 3 March 1869, preceding Arthur I. Boreman.

Biography
Peter Godwin Van Winkle was born in New York City, New York to an established family, and he worked as a lawyer before moving to Parkersburg, West Virginia in 1835. He served in local politics and as a railroad president before organizing the secession of West Virginia from Confederate Virginia during the American Civil War. Van Winkle was elected to the US Senate as an Unionist after West Virginia was admitted to the Union in 1863, and he voted for President Andrew Johnson's acquittal after the war. He died in Parkersburg in 1872.